Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-10-21
THE clTY's INJURIOUS INFLUENCES.
Those which Chiefly Affect the stability
of the Nervous system.

OF the Nervous system.
L do not intend To discuss in this paper
the subjects Of bad ventilation and I'M
pure air, imperfect drainage, damp cell
lars or insufficient nOurishment. | refer
10 those influences which chiefly affect
the stability of the nervous system, rem
dering il losS capable of sustained work
and in a secondary way only the circula-
ton and general nutrition. The result of
all these influences is To lessen the pro-
ducing power Of each man and thus TO
depreciate his value as an economic fac
tor. Their cause is 10 he found in faulty
municipal arrangements which can he
largely corrected 10y intelligent action
and supervision. They work 10y pro-
ducing insomnia, aberrant forms of men,
tai action. These effects accumulate
with each successive generation sub
jected Ia their influence until the final IN
heritor finds the load too heavy to bear
and DO any useful work. refer chiefly
to three, and these are:
First. Disease of the upper extremi-
ties for any considerable muscular exer-
ton.
Second. The incessant noise of a large
city.
Third. Earring of the brain and spinal
cord 10y continual ~treading upon the stone
and brick pavements which make u
sidewalks and streets.
II there is one general physical differ
ence between the country bred and the
city bred man il lies in the size and
strength of the muscles of the shoulder
and arm. This use of the arms has in
both men and women an important bear
ing on the general health since it in
creases the capacity of the chest and
thereby the surface of lung tissue where
the blood is spread out in thin walled
vessels through which the oxygen and
carbonic acid easily pass in opposite direc-
tons, serving thus the double purpose Of
feeding the body more abundantly and
of removing a constantly accommodating
waste product.
A man may walk in an hour four miles
on a city sidewalk and reach his desk
tired, exhausted Of force and better only
for the open air and a slight increase Of
the circulation. Had he spent half that
time in a well ordered gymnasium using
chest and rowing weights. and after a
sponge bath if he had gone by rapid
transit 10 his office. he would have found
his work of a very different order, easier
to do and taking less time TO perform it.
The remedy for this state Of things is TO
cause every man and woman 10 realize
the importance Of arm exercise. Make it
compulsory in schools and popular after
leaving school.
\ second injurious influence which per-
tains exclusively to city life is incessant
noise. This may not he very intense at
any time, hut when continuous il acts as
certainly upon the nervous system as
water falling upon a stone Elevated
railroads should not he permitted in
streets where men and women live. A
third hurtful influence Of city life is
Earring Of the brain by continual treading
upon stone paNements. If any n
doubts that there is a distinct and de-
cided jar of thebrain with each step let
him walk 100 yards when the brain is
slightly over sensitive from a had cold. or
headache, and he will observe the pain
each step causes.
Now in many people, the i'll effects of
these thousands of slight daily conclusions
accumulate and after a time ono with
other causes in producing that state of
disability called nervous exhaustion.
Something is needed for pedestrians which
will lie durable Yet not hard. Some Of
the varieties Of asphalt composition are
elastic, hut none of them sufficiently dur
able 81 far as | know. Nature suggests
a remedy in "A second way in the covering
Of the human heel itself, where we find a
a very elastic pad one-half m inch thick
to lessen the jar of walking. II we re-
place the perfectly hard boot heel 10y an
elastic india rubber n VI provide AN
inexpensive and practical remedy which
il would cost the wearer but a few cents
a month to keep in repair.-Dr. Walter
B. Plat.